I'm new here and the new owner...

[orcaguy]

I'm new here and the new owner of a 330 Sundancer...powered by twin 350's.. This is my first inboard and I'm at the bottom of the learning curve and have a problem. While attempting to replace the zincs on the heat exchangers the nuts holding he zincs broke off.They appear to be badly corroded and what appeared to be what was left of the old zincs was blocking the holes on both exchangers preventing new zincs from screwing in. So I lightly punched them in with a small screw driver thinking that would clear the way. However the new bolts holding zincs won't even begin to thread.I'm really freaking out over this and don't know what to do next. I'm not a mechanic and don't know what do do. The mechanics here in Seattle appear to be booked for several weeks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[wingless]

Is there a nearby removable cover would expose the interior of the heat exchanger to manipulate the broken part?

Can a small hole be drilled into the end of the old zinc and a screw be driven into the hole to create a "handle" for removing the remnants?

[orcaguy]

I apparently pushed what was left of the old zincs inside when attempting to clear the hole with a small punch..so the holes are clear..Yea, I could takeoff the ends off the exchangers and fish things out, but my real dilemma is the new zinc bolts won't even begin to thread. I'm wondering if the threads have been destroyed by corrosion or maybe by me pushing what was left in the hole inside the exchangers. It appears removing the exchangers is a major undertaking.

[wingless]

Use a garden hose water pressure to force the bits out the removed end cap. Ensure all the bits are removed by piecing them together.

Carefully use a 1/2 NPT tap to fix the thread problem.

[orcaguy]

Thanks for the input. I'be never tapped anything before and it's underneath at a weird angle.

[wingless]

Remember that NPT is a taper thread, so when chasing damaged threads w/ a tap, don't go any further than is required to fix the damaged threads.

[greatscott]

you might not have zinks in there . they could just be drain holes for the exchange my exchange never had zinks its a 1994